Various chemicals such as organomercury compounds, organotin compounds and chlorinated phenols have been used as industrial preservative fungicides. However, the toxicity of these compounds and environmental contamination caused by these compounds are known problems.
The quaternary ammonium compounds and TCMTB used in the present invention are known individually as low toxicity antimicrobials. However, these compounds each possess a narrow antibacterial spectrum and, when used alone, have limited ability to completely prevent the growth of microorganisms. Thus, it was not possible to effectively prevent the development of microorganisms.